Monsters Inside Us
by Neon-Tinged-Disaster
Summary: 10 years after Light's death, Kira finds himself in the body of a young girl, and he wants nothing more to take revenge on the one who caused his death, Near. He won't back down without a fight, and soon Kira's got another problem- the reincarnation of L.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

**Warning: Previous relationship between L and Light; Somewhat disturbing content in latter chapters. **

I was beautiful. Everyone knew it, and everyone made me know it. My appearance would make even models jealous, and my smile could even break the hearts of criminals. But that was simply my outside appearance. Inside, I knew, there was something hideous and twisted. Inside me I had a monster.

I could always feel it inside me, it grew and twisted with every horrible thought I had. It smiled at my pain, and laughed at others. It was vicious, and it grew larger every day.

One day I decided to talk to someone about it. My father called a famous psychologist, and soon we had an appointment scheduled. It was on the third of May when I was brought in.

The psychologist asked many questions, and I took many tests. All in all, they concluded, I was a perfectly normal girl. They didn't believe me when I told them I had a monster inside me. All they told me was that I was insecure about myself. But I knew they were wrong. I was not insecure in the least. I didn't know why they couldn't understand, couldn't see the horrific demon that was growing stronger, that was laughing at them from inside me.

It was in my last year of high school I finally met the monster. January the twenty-eighth, to be precise. It was on that day that he spoke to me.

"_**Hello."**_I had immediately frozen, and I could hear the monster chuckle, laughing at my anxiety. _**"Don't be alarmed, dear Katherine. I have no desire to hurt **_**you." **He purred. I looked around, as I was in the middle of AP Statistics, but no one appeared to have heard the monster. I drew a conclusion quickly- the monster was inside, me, therefore his words were inside me and no one else could hear them. _**"You're correct, Katherine. I'm glad I was born inside someone who is pretty smart." **_I could feel him smiling at me, and I shivered. The smile was not full of warmth, it was full of malice and cruelty and unfiltered evil. The monster truly was awake inside me know, awake and thinking separate to me. _**Please, Katherine. Don't call me a monster. I am not one in any way, shape, or form. Please, call me Kira. And I am delighted to finally speak to my host.**_


	2. A Logical Conversation

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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><p><span>Chapter 1- A Logical Conversation<span>

Katherine's POV

I was tapping the side of my desk offhandedly with my pencil, waiting for the rest of the students to finish their exams. Ever since Kira had awoken within me, I had suddenly become much smarter. I had already been smart before, but now I felt that I was on a whole other level. My friends, who I had always looked up to for their intelligence, now seemed not dumb, but just not as smart as I. No one could compete with me now. It was like they were two levels below me in the pyramid of intelligence, and I stood at the top. It was a satisfying feeling, and I know Kira enjoyed it too. But it wasn't enough for him. Kira often told me that he wanted more. He didn't just want to be at the top of the intelligence pyramid, he wanted to be on top of the world.

And I could understand him. All my life, I had been struggling to reach the top of the intelligence pyramid. It was what every human does; they struggle to get higher, and their life is the list of achievements they made during the struggle. Once they completed a challenge, a new challenge would appear and they would begin struggling again.

But Kira and I had stepped out of that cycle. I understood why he wanted to be on top of the world. We had already surpassed all of the mundane challenges, and we felt the desire to take on more difficult ones. But there weren't any. And so we were bored.

It was during this period that Kira asked me if he knew about the mass-murders that had happened ten years prior.

"_I do, yes." _I thought, wondering what Kira's point was. My eyes suddenly narrowed, my thought process speeding up. _"You're Kira. The one from ten years ago, aren't you?" _

I could feel him smiling at me, the same cruel smile, but it was also filled with pride. _**"I am. I'm glad you figured it out so fast."**_

"_But then why are you here, inside me? Shouldn't you be dead?"_

"_**But I am not, dear Katherine. My soul didn't go to Mu, as it should have. Somehow, my soul went into the body of a little girl, you. I have not yet drawn a conclusion for how that happened." **_I was confused, and Kira must have sensed it, for he continued, _**"Near must really have not told the public about the truth of the Kira case. Well then, it seems I must explain it to you." **_And explain he did- I was told of Kira's magnificent dream, how L kept denying it, and how Kira was tragically betrayed and killed by one of his own friends. He told me of the Death Note, the Shinigami, and how important someone's name is.

"_Friends?" _I thought, confused.

"_**You saw right through me. Well done. One of pawns betrayed me." **_

"_Excuse me Kira, I need to think this through." _I thought, running over what had been said to me. I knew that he hadn't told me everything; he had definitely told me a romanticized version of the story, one told from his perspective. I needed to meet with the current L.

"_**Don't."**_

"_Don't what?"_

"_**Don't meet with him."**_

"_Why not?"_

"_**He'll lock you in prison."**_

"_But I haven't done anything! He can't just imprison me for no reason whatsoever!"_

"_**Actually, he can. The current L, Near, has that much power. We can't meet him until we are absolutely prepared."**_

I remained silent after this comment, thinking about Near, Kira, L, and myself. It was confusing. I knew Kira was holding a grudge against Near, and I also knew Kira hated L. I just needed to know how much of what Kira had told me was biased towards him.

It was those thoughts I was running through my head as I waited for the exam to end. I had been told a week ago, and I still was no closer to making a decision than I had been. Kira was not endlessly patient, and I could feel his growing irritation with each passing day.

I glanced up at the clock in the testing room, noting that I still had 30 minutes till the exam was officially over. I had time.

"_Kira?"_

"_**Yes?"**_

"_How do you plan on taking revenge on Near? You don't have a Death Note, connections to the police, nor control over my body. I don't see how revenge is possible."_

Kira laughed. _**"Remember what I told you about Ryuk?"**_

I thought back to what Kira had told me about the bored Shinigami who dropped the Death Note. _"Yes."_

"_**There's a 99.8% chance that he's bored once again."  
><strong>_I was confused; I couldn't see where Kira was going with this.

"_**There's a 47% chance that he's watching the human world."**_

Realization dawned on me. _"Still, that's not very high, but the chance is there. Very smart, very smart."_

Kira smiled once again. _**"And there's a 28% chance that he, once again, has come into the possession of two Death Notes. And if we follow that logic, than the chance that he's already dropped it into the human world once again… is 9%"**_

"_Only 9%?"_

"_**Yes. Ryuk is not an imbecile, no matter how much he acted like it. He would have known that dropping the Death Note straight away would likely lead to it getting burned right away. He would have known to wait, if only to get more entertainment out of it."**_

"_That's logical." _I nodded. _"But you reason that because you already know about the Death Note and won't use it right away, or would only use it in a way that's impossible to trace, Ryuk would give the second notebook to you. And if he didn't have the second notebook, then he would likely go and get one after realizing you're still alive." _

"_**Correct."**_

"_Which would leave you with a Death Note, Near practically defenseless, and a chance to finally make your dream come true."_

Kira nodded.

"_You really are a genius." _I sighed, looking up at the clock. Kira and I had been talking, well thinking, for over twenty-five minutes.

"_I agree to your plan. I will help you."_

"_**What led you to help me?"**_

"_There's a high chance of you succeeding. And from what I've heard, even if I didn't agree, you would probably end up manipulating me anyway. And if I agree now, then it would make it more of a partnership rather than a puppet and puppeteer. Also, if by chance this plan fails, I can always put the blame on you; say you manipulated me and such. Also, I think your ideals are good, if not far-fetched. If you had not told me of the Death Note, then there would have been no way I would have agreed with this due to the chance of failure. I assume you calculated the chances of that, which is why you told me about the Death Note even if it was risky. That's another reason why I agreed, because you always think things through._

Kira smiled, an actual smile this time, rather than his typical cruel and manipulative one. _**"I'm glad that I got you for my host."**_


	3. Reunion

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**L's finally here! And so is Near. Hopefully L's not too Ooc, but it's a lost cause for Near. He actually has emotions. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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><p><span>Chapter 2- Reunion<span>

Near's POV

I was stacking dice in the shape of the Leaning Tower of pizza when my phone rang. I lazily turned my head, staring at it emotionlessly. It kept ringing, annoying me. _Why hasn't anyone picked it up yet? _I thought, wondering if I would have to answer it.  
>"Hello?" I had capitulated and answered it myself.<p>

"Hello Near."

My eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"

"I already know this line isn't tapped, but what I don't know is this- is anyone else listening to this phone call?"

I glanced around, "No one."

"Good. I am L."

"Impossible." I shot the caller down. I would have whoever called this tracked down and brought to me. No one should pretend to be L, and no one should know this phone number unless they were connected to me in some way. "How do you know my name, fake-L?"

"You don't believe me. Well, the probability of you not believing me was 93%, but I still tried anyway. How might I get Near to believe me was the next question I asked myself, and as I was unable to draw a conclusion that gave me a 100% satisfactory answer, I bring the question to you. How might I get you to believe me?"

I thought over this fake-L's comments. He definitely knew L in some way; maybe fake-L had worked with him at some point or the other. "That is a question without an answer."

"There is never a question without an answer. We had asked ourselves how Kira killed without ever going into contact with the criminal, something that seemed impossible at the time. There was an answer to that question, the Death Note. So I will ask you again. How might I get you to believe me?"  
>I was quiet for a moment. "What is my real name?"<p>

I could hear the smile in his voice as he responded. "Nate River."

"Where can I meet you?"

"Assuming you're in America, let's meet at the Starbucks on Broadway Street in New York. I will wait there for four hours, depending on how far you are from this location. I will be located in the booth farthest left and back. I hope to see you there."

I heard the dial tone, and so I put the phone down. "We're going to New York, New York. I need a fast jet, and I need it within ten minutes. We're not bringing anything, so we don't need to pack. Let's go."

Three hours later I was walking into Starbucks, my assistants waiting outside. I looked around, and what I saw made me freeze. And hardly anything made me freeze. I walked over rigidly, twisting my hair, a habit I had avoided since the end of the Kira case. I stood beside the edge of the table, my voice squeaking out, "L- Ryuuzaki?"

He turned towards me, his black eyes wide and rimmed with black like he hadn't had much sleep. He was hunched over, sitting in his favorite position. I felt choked when I saw him, a wave of emotions passing through me that I hadn't felt in years. "Ryuuzaki." I said, my voice cracking with the weight of my feelings. "Ryuuzaki." I said once again, "Ryuuzaki."

"I'm not going to go away. Don't worry Near." He smiled at me, and I felt like a little kid once again.

"Ryuuzaki." I felt tears well up, and I was glad that my assistants had left. I never showed my emotions in front of anyone. Not even when I had received the news of L's death had I let my mask slip. So why was it, when L was alive once again, that I couldn't keep my mask on? Why was I so weak? I was an adult now, and I was crying like a child when I had never done so before. "Ryuuzaki."

He hugged me. I had never been hugged before, and he hugged me. "It's okay Near." With those words, I finally broke down. "It's okay, it's okay." He whispered, rocking me. Even though I had grown in those years after L's death, I hadn't grown much. I still looked like a child, even though I was 24. And now, I finally felt like the child I had been when L died.

"Don't ever leave me again." I whispered to him, and the arms around me tightened. It was enough of a response for me.

Once L had assured me that no one would be able to tell I had cried, I walked out of the coffee shop. L followed me, eating a cake he had purchased. I knew my assistants were staring at L, but I didn't care. They would know who he was soon enough. "Change of plans." I said, getting their attention with but a few words, "We're going to England. Book tickets for all of us on the next flight."


	4. Broken Light

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**My favorite character has finally made an appearance! XD**

**And to the question that was asked about why L has his body and while Kira doesn't... Well, that question shall be answered soon enough. :)**

**Enjoy chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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><p><span>Chapter 3- Broken Light<span>**  
><strong>

I sat the Death Note gingerly on my desk, both frightened and fascinated by it. I shivered, thinking of what it had done. It was evil; that I knew for certain. But was Kira evil? I had been thinking over that question time and time again. Like my old History teacher once said, "It's neither black nor white; it's a shade of gray." The Death Note was black though, I am sure. There was absolutely no good in it at all. Kira though… Kira was definitely gray. _But what am I? Where do I fall on the spectrum? _I thought, drumming my fingers on the desk.

"_**You and I are both white." **_Kira answered.

"_I wasn't asking for your opinion." _I thought bitterly.

"_**Yes, but I answered anyway. Your thoughts are my thoughts, and mine are yours."**_

"_I know. I know." _I sighed, gazing at the Death Note. _"Is this really it?" _

"_**Yes. Ryuk will come here soon, as soon as he gets a second Death Note. That shall banish your fears about it, shouldn't it?"**_

"_It'll banish the question of it being real, but my fears about it? I already know they're true. _

"_**Don't be afraid of the Death Note, if you're afraid of its power then you can't use it, it will be using you instead. I learned that the hard way."**_

"Huh?" I said aloud. Kira seemed in no way afraid of the Death Note, he seemed enthralled with it.

"_**It seems you don't understand. I was afraid of giving my life to the Death Note. Even though I had already given my life to it, I was afraid to give it away in numbers."**_

"_I'm still confused."_

Kira sighed. _**"I became obsessed with killing criminals. I became obsessed with the Death Note. You know how some people say 'Video games are my life?' Well, the Death Note became that. Had I realized that at the time, I would have probably made the eye deal. You see, if you don't give that final deal, then you will lose. You will also lose if you are too overconfident, which the eye deal makes. There's a fine line Katherine, a fine fine line."**_

"_Well, at least you're realizing your mistakes now, so you can learn from them." _I smiled. _"That's probably why you're telling me this, so that I can warn you when you're getting overconfident. But will you believe me? It's unlikel-"_I stopped. Then, I began to laugh, _"You're cruel Kira, a cruel bastard. You want me to get the eye deal, but even now you still don't want to get it yourself. You're trying to manipulate me, trying to get me to trade half my life away. But even still, there's something I don't understand. You're part of me, so if I decrease my life, won't I be decreasing yours as well?"_

"_**I'm not part of you. It is my belief that if someone with the Shinigami eyes looked at us, then they would see two names. My name, and then your name. Because we are two separate souls, with two separate life spans. I plan to ask Ryuk about this."**_

"_Two… Separate life spans? Wait, that means-"_

"_**You're correct. It means that one of us will die before the other, leaving whoever's left control of the body."**_

"_So why are you telling me? I mean, telling the person you're planning to kill isn't a very good idea, is it?"_

"_**You would have figured it out anyway. And I feel pleasure at revealing that you know that I want to kill you."**_

"_You're a sick bastard, a sick sadistic bastard."_

"_**So I've been told." **_

"_Well, seeing as you're inside me, I guess that makes me one too." _I sighed. Kira was definitely leaning towards the darker side of gray.

"_**Yep. You'll learn to accept it soon enough."**_

"What would happen if I decided that I didn't want to help you anymore?" I wondered out loud.

"_**I would manipulate you into helping me some way or another." **_

"_I thought so."_ I sighed, feeling Kira smirk. _"But still-"_

It was at that moment that Ryuk entered into their lives. "Hey Light, got any apples?"

"Light?" I said, confused. _"What does he mean by that-"_ My thought was cut off by a splitting headache. My head felt like it was bursting open, as if something was being dragged out from a dark chasm. I remember screaming till I saw white before passing out.

I slowly opened my eyes, blinking up at the bright light. _Were am I? _I thought offhandedly, not expecting the flash of pain that came with it. "Ow…" I muttered, squinting my eyes in the pain. "What happened." I murmured out loud, trying to think back to what might have caused it. "Ryuk mentioned…. Light."

_{Yes?}_

"_Who are you?" _I thought, extremely alarmed.

_{I'm Light, Light Yagami. Who are you?} _

"_I'm Katherine. I have a question for you though. Why are you inside me, and what happened to Kira?"_

_{Kira?} _I flinched. A flash of pain had run through my head at the thought of his name.

"_Never mind." _I thought quickly.

_{Sorry.}_

"_What are you apologizing for?" _I was confused. The person I was talking to, no, thinking to, sounded a lot like Kira, but the tone of his thoughts was completely different. Light seemed so innocent.

_{Well, I wasn't able to answer your question. So I apologized." _I felt Light smile, a sweet smile in stark comparison to Kira's cruel one.

I had an idea- _"Light, do you know Ryuk?" _I felt another flash of pain, what I assumed was a sign that Light didn't know.

_{No.} _

I smiled. I was right.

"_How about… L?"_

_{How do you know L?}_

I smiled. Success. _"I don't how to explain it; maybe it will be easier if you tell me how you know L first."_

I could feel Light become uneasy, and my eyes widened. Kira had said L was secretive, and didn't like to reveal himself. Light probably didn't want to betray L's trust, as Kira had said something about meeting L in person. _"Don't worry; it's not betrayal if you tell me. I already know about him, don't worry."_

_{Well, you already do seem to know about him… L and I were working on the…. Some case. I don't remember. We… were handcuffed together. I was… A suspect? No… yes. No!}_

"_It's okay Light, don't worry." _I thought quickly, trying to console him. Though how you console a personality inside yourself, I was slightly unsure. I could feel Light's sadness though, and I hated it. It was like watching someone really close to you be hurt, and you can do nothing to help them. _"It's okay, it'll be fine." _

_{No! It won't! I… I… loved him. And then I- no, it was… Ki-} _Another flash of pain hit me, this one much more painful than the prior.

I screamed once again, barely making out the sounds of footsteps running closer to me before blacking out.

I was prepared for the brightness of the light this time, opening my eyes slowly. _The light… Light! _I thought worriedly. _"Light? You there?"_

"_**No. That wimp is hiding in the corner of our mind, crying his eyes out." **_Kira sneered.

"_Why?" _I thought I knew, but I wanted Kira to confirm it.

"_**Because that bastard was in love with L. And he killed L. Indirectly, as I was the one who organized it, but he still played his part." **_

I swallowed my emotions successfully. I had always know Kira was cruel, but this- this took it to a whole different level.

"_**You think I'm cruel? Well, get used to it." He laughed at me. "There's nothing you can do." **_

"_What do you mean?" _I laughed, _"I'm the one in control of my-"_My voice was cut off. I tried to move my hand to my throat but it didn't work. _"WHAT DID YOU DO?" _

"_**I took control." **_I smiled cruelly, no, HE smiled cruelly. Kira had taken control of my body, and I was powerless to stop him.


	5. Revelations

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**This is more of an explanation chapter, to answer the question: Why** L has his body and while Kira doesn't, and other questions...****

**Hope you enjoy Chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

Chapter 4- Revelations**  
><strong>

Near's POV

"So Kira's back." I said emotionlessly. We were on a plane, flying back from England, having successfully gotten L a fake identity, deleting his birth certificate and the like. L and I had seated ourselves far enough away from my assistants so that no one would hear us. The seats around us were mostly unoccupied, and the only person close enough to be able to hear anything was deeply asleep.

"Yes." L said, nodding. "And the chance that he's going to be coming after you is 93.8%."

"At least he doesn't have the Death Note." I said, twirling my hair.

"That's true." L nodded, looking out the window. "But that doesn't mean he's not a dangerous psychopath. There are other ways to kill."

I nodded, unconcerned. He had wanted to kill me before, and he had failed. This time, I had L on my side, and he didn't have a Death Note. "He'll probably end up killing criminals to try and draw me out."

"And if he can't manage to kill criminals, the chance that he will begin to kill innocents is 97% if his mental state is what it was when he died."

I nodded again. "We should find him as soon as possible. Where do think he will most likely appear?"

"There's a 22% chance he's going to appear in Japan, a 47% chance he's going to appear in America, a 27% chance he's going to appear in England, and a 4% chance he's going to appear elsewhere."

"So America?"

"Most likely."

"So then we won't need to change our schedule." I said, twirling my hair. "Do you have any estimations of what state he will appear in?"

"No."

"I see." I said, "Should we alert the FBI?"

L tilted his head. "We should probably warn them. The chance they won't believe us quite high, 67%, though."

"I see."

"But if Kira began killing in an attempt to attract our attention, and the FBI found out that we had predicted it, there would be a 94% chance they would be infuriated with is."

"That is also true." I nodded. "We should tell the FBI. I'll make the call as soon as we touch down."

"The FBI has been alerted; they will report any suspicious murders to us." I said quietly, even though there was no chance of anyone hearing us. The privacy protector had been pulled up in our car; it effectively shut out all noise from my assistants in the front. It wasn't that I didn't trust my assistants, it was more of the fact that I was waiting for the opportune time to tell them.

I wondered what L thought about my hesitation at telling my assistants. _L…_ I looked at him, amused. Even now that we were riding in a car, L was still sitting in his special position. _He never changed_. I smiled to myself, a thin smile that worked its way over my usual emotionless mask. L was causing me to show my emotions; a concept I had never had to deal with before.

"What is it Near?" L asked, his head tilted curiously and his thumb in his mouth.

"Nothing." I said, looking back at him. "Except…" I thought quickly for a reason, not really wanting to tell L I was contemplating the thought of having emotions, and that it was because of him. "Something's been bothering me."

"Hmm?" L said, his face betraying no emotion.

"Ryuk," I twirled my hair with my finger, "He is an unpredictable factor."

L nodded. "He is. An especially dangerous factor."

I nodded in reply. "And if he returns to the human world, chances are that he and Light have met, and Light has the Death Note once again." I thought I saw L flinch at the mention of Light's name, but I decided not to ask him about it. It was probably just a result of having been killed by him. Though why he hadn't reacted at the sound of Kira's name as well, I wasn't sure.

"Though the only way to tell if the Death Note has returned is if we find it, or if the murders were done in a way such as that only the Death Note can be responsible." L stated calmly.

I nodded, but didn't say anything in reply. There was little L and I could do but wait for the FBI to contact us.

"So who is he anyway?" One of my assistants, Giovanni gestured. They hadn't questioned me about L earlier, but now that we were back in the base they felt free to ask the question that had been bothering them for the last few days.

I pondered upon what to tell them; I did trust them all, but… _The partial truth then. _It may have been because of a possessive desire not to share L, or maybe I really didn't want to explain why he was alive and well when I didn't know the reason myself. "This is…."

"Ren. Ren Jameson." L said smoothly, immediately understanding what I wanted.  
>"And he is going to help us with our new case." I looked at each of my assistants in turn. "Catching Kira." The shocked faces of my assistants were enough of a reply for me, so I continued on. "Yes, Kira has returned. We know this for certain. He may or may not have a Death Note, but that shall soon become evident. There will be murders, we know that, we also know the motivation. We know the Who, all we need to figure out is the Where."<p>

"Incorrect." L interrupted. "Kira's name is no longer Light Yagami, just like my name is no longer L Lawliet." I couldn't keep the horrified expression off my face; L had just revealed his name to my assistants, something that we had planned later, at a more opportune time. I quickly dropped my horrified expression- a suspicious one settling in its place. L was definitely up to something.

"L? But- Didn't you die?" Giovanni said, confused.

"I did. But I am alive once again. Just like how Kira is no longer in the realm of the dead either."

"Are you sure it's L?" Lidner asked.

"Yes." I replied confidently. "I am sure it's L, he both looks like him, and he knows what he should, I believe it highly unlikely that he is anyone else but L."  
>"Then we should be able to find Kira easily. We just send out a picture of his face to the media, saying that anybody should call in if they see him." Giovanni said, smiling.<p>

"Near, do you trust everybody here?" L said, cutting off Giovanni's train of thought completely.

"Yes." I replied without hesitation, though I was unsure of where L was headed with this.

"Kira doesn't have the same body as he once did, and neither does Light."

"That means we couldn't use my idea." Giovanni said, slightly downcast.

"You speak as if they're two different people." I said slowly, ignoring his comment.

"They are, in fact, two people. Well, two souls if you want to be precise."

"But then why do you have your body if Kira doesn't?"

"Because the Shinigami King never liked to make things easy, nor was he ever the type to be merciful. Kira knows this as well." L said, gauging our reactions. Seeing that we were all still listening intently, he continued, "I died on November 5, 1998. I was reborn 3 years later, which makes me 17, Near, four years younger than you.

"I was reborn due to an inconsistency, an inconsistency brought about by Kira and Light's death. The fact is, Kira and Light were once the same person, Kira being a personality Light developed to help cope with the weight of murdering someone.

"Light's soul began to fissure, Kira and Light growing further and further apart. His soul was undergoing something similar to mitosis, Kira's soul being born from Light's soul. When Ryuk wrote _Light's _name in his Death Note, Light's soul and body were both killed. Kira, being an offshoot of Light's soul and their body being dead, died as well. Now, you probably wonder where I am going with all this." L stopped. "Before I get to the main part- are there any questions?"

I shook my head no, and my assistants did so as well. L's story had been clear enough so far.

"Now, as both Kira and Light had used the Death note, they both went to Mu. Now, Mu was prepared for only one soul. The development of Kira was unforeseen. This is the inconsistency I was talking about. It presented a huge problem to the Shinigami Realm. If both Light's and Kira's soul had been sent to Mu when only one soul had been expected… huge consequences would have arose. So the Shinigami King contemplated upon this, and decided the easiest way to remedy this was to either send Light or Kira's soul back down to the human realm, and that would be the end of it.

"But it soon became evident that that was impossible; Kira's soul could not be separate from Light's. So the Shinigami King would have to send both back down, which would have been fine, except for the fact that she-"

"She?" One Near's assistants interrupted, causing me to scowl.

"Yes, she. The Shinigami King is not a gender specific title. As I was saying, she would not be able to erase both their memories. Simply put, because Light's soul had split while in possession of the Death Note, the Death Note had two owners. When Kira forced Light to give up the Death Note, Light forgot everything, but Kira's knowledge remained; he just became a dormant personality, and waited for the moment when Light would regain his possession of the Death Note. Kira became something like another Shinigami owner of the Death Note, the Death Note would always remain his, as there was no laws to deal with circumstances like this.

"So the Shinigami King was once more at a standstill with this decision. And that is where details of my story become a little fuzzy. I assume that as the Shinigami King was reviewing the souls and histories of Light and Kira, she noticed that Light had repented. Light regretted ever using the Death Note, and he did this while he was still living, not only when he was dead.

"The Shinigami King may have never encountered something like this before, a Death Note user repenting while still having the use of the Death Note. And that is what may have led him to decide that a second chance was in order, Light would have a second chance at life, while his problem would be solved. But Kira's soul would not and could not be separated from Light's soul.

Now, the Shinigami King has a personality somewhat similar to Ryuk. She decided to make it into a game. The pieces would be Light, myself, and Kira. If Kira manages to make Light turn to the side of {Evil,} then Kira would win. If I manage to make Light turn back to the side of {Good,} then I win. I would get… my second chance at life, as would Light, if I won, as well as Kira's soul being destroyed. And if Kira won, then Light's soul would be effectively destroyed, and Kira would have his second chance once again.

"It won't be easy; the Shinigami King made sure of that. He gave me my own body as a reward for all of the good things I did in my life, and Kira and Light were placed in _someone else's body_ as a punishment for what they did, but really to make it easier for Kira to win. Now, who she put their souls in I am not sure. Did he put their souls in an evil person, to make it even easier for Kira to win? Or a good person, to help me win? I suspect the previous one, simply because of the Shinigami King's Nature. Though that is the game the Shinigami King wants us to play, I don't think Kira will try to convert Light. I think all Kira may want to do is exact revenge on Near." L stopped speaking, and from the way he leaned back slightly, I could tell he was done talking.

"So we need to… save Light?" Lidner said slowly.

"Couldn't we just catch Kira again? That should be enough of a saving to count, and then we'll be free to go, and you'll have your second chance."

L looked pained; there was clearly something he hadn't told us, something more about the deal than those simple rewards and requirements he had told us. I only needed to find out what.


	6. Encouragement

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**Happy Halloween! Happy Birthday L! But sadly, L is not in the chapter, only mentioned.**

**I've been updating frequently, but I plan to try and attempt NaNoWriMo, so updates may be... less frequent. I'm only able to do one thing at one time. :P Neon fails at multitasking. Or would it be multiwriting? **

**Hope you enjoy chapter five!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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><p><span>Chapter 5- Encouragement<span>

Katherine's POV

_"Where am I?" _I said, my voice echoing. _"What the hell?" _I breathed. I could barely see anything, all around me was darkness, and the only source of light was a small lantern sitting in front of me. I picked it up; I didn't know where I was, and if there were objects lying on the floor I had no desire to drip over them. "_Where is this place?" _I wondered aloud.

_**"Where do you think?" **_Kira's voice sneered; echoing through the darkness and making me wince. This place couldn't be very big, if all of our voices were echoing like that.

I paused a second to think, a faint whimpering noise making itself none during the silence left behind in our conversation. "_Light?" _I thought, and then clapped my hands over my mouth. _"Why can't I think without it being said out loud?" _I asked, wondering if Kira knew.

He chuckled. _**"Silly Katherine, you're inside your own mind right now. Technically, you're thinking when you mean to say things out loud. That means all of your thoughts are going to be received in that way." **_

_"Huh?" _I said, completely confused. This dark place…. Was my mind? Or was it Kira's mind now…. I shivered involuntarily. I couldn't even think without being heard by Kira. It was slightly depressing, but in the reverse, I would be able to hear all of Kira's thoughts. _"But then why haven't I heard anything beside those two comments?" _I wondered aloud.

_**"It's a sec~ret" **_Kira laughed. _**"I'm not going to tell you."**_

_"Childish bastard!"_

_ **"Oh Katherine, I would have thought you would have some more creative insults by now."**_

_"Well, seeing as I can't think without you hearing me, you wouldn't be surprised even if I did think of some more creative insults! And besides, I think bastard describes you perfectly."_

_ **"I am not an illegitimate child." **_

_"Slang Kira, slang." _I said, sighing.

Kira chuckled at me. _**"Well, then I guess I may be a bastard. Vicious does seem to describe me, and I am a man. I wouldn't say inferior though, I'm clearly of a superior intellect."**_

_"Are you reading from a dictionary or something?"_

_ **"Superior memory Katherine, superior memory."**_

_ "And why would you have looked up the definition of the word bastard?"_

_ **"Curiosity." **_

_"Did someone call you a bastard, and you, not knowing what it meant, look it up?" _I laughed at Kira's lack of response. _"Poor Kira. Did you think it was a compliment at the time?" _

_**"I paid him back ten fold." **_Kira said coldly. I shivered involuntarily; sometimes I forgot I was dealing with a mass murderer who killed people on a daily basis. _**"Would you like to know how?"**_

I shook my head mutely in response, and then remembered Kira couldn't see me. _"No, I don't" _

_**"You sure?" **_I could imagine Kira smiling cruelly at me, a tiger in front of a rabbit.

I wondered how I could have ever imagined being on the same level, the same wavelength as this. _"I'm sure." _I said, cowed. Kira's voice held so much power over me now, it was almost tangible. Like a chain around my neck, my fear prevented me from ever going against Kira completely, but my pride wouldn't let him walk all over me. I wondered if this was how Kira made all of his victims feel. Probably.

I sat down, clutching my knees to my chest, feeling so very alone in this prison of darkness. My only light was the small lantern in front of me, casting a cheery glow as if to mock me and my lonesomeness. _"Wait… I'm not alone." _I said, my head whipping around to a faint sobbing noise, coming from my left. I grabbed the lantern, standing up determinedly. I had an inkling of who it was, there could only be one other person in the same situation as I. _"Light?"_

A sob was my answer, but it was a more strangled sob, as if someone was trying to say something through the tight feeling that engulfed your throat when you were crying. I ventured closer to the source of the noise, sympathy for the poor boy who had probably had to deal with the fear that was Kira much longer than I, seeing as he knew L. _"Light? Are you..." _I trailed off, knowing the answer to my question. Light was not okay. I walked closer to the sobs, my lantern now illuminating the figure that I knew to be Light. He was crying, staring upwards and leaning against a wall. I didn't really know what to do; I was not a comfort kind of girl. Whenever my friends had problems, they would always go over to this one girl's house, Allie's house. Never me, not even when it was best friend who was sad, and needed someone to comfort her. Never me.

I awkwardly patted Light on the back, kneeling next to him. The lantern cast our shadows against the wall, a gloomy and depressing picture to go with the soundtrack of crying that Light seemed to be playing on repeat. _"If this how much a grown man cries, I shudder to see how much some of my friends would cry." _I remarked snidely, remembering too late that I could no longer keep my thoughts to myself. Light let out a chuckle though, but it was quickly covered by tears. I smiled; maybe I wasn't so bad at this comforting stuff after all.

_"Light, it's okay, it'll be okay." _I said, trying to remember any sad movies I had seen, and what people did when trying to comfort someone. _"I wish I had ice cream, I remember going on an ice cream splurge was supposed to help."_ I said to myself, earning a louder sob from Light.

_{L… He… He liked ice cream. I wish… I could have eaten ice cream with him.} _Light choked out.

I rolled my eyes; Light seemed like a little pitiful baby almost, all these cute little wished were enough to make me sick. _"Suck it up and be a man." _I said to Light, growing tired of this consoling stuff. _"So you helped cause the death of this L guy, while you were in love with him, right?" _Light nodded pitifully. _"Wrong; that's what Kira wants you to think." _I said, standing up. _"Not the second part, but the first part. Kira was the one who planned L's death and you didn't know that. It was not your fault." _I commanded, emphasizing the your. _"Without any knowledge of it, how could you prevent it? I'm sure, if you had known, then you would have done all you could to stop this from happening. And, if this L guy loved you in return, I'm sure he wouldn't blame you either." _I finalized, crossing my arms and looking down at Light, begging, no, commandinghim to challenge me.

His sobs quieted, and I waited patiently for him to recover enough to speak. _{Do you really think so?}_

I nodded, "_I know so." _

He laughed, looking up at me from his position on the floor with wide, unblinking eyes. It was slightly creepy, especially seeing as his eyes were bloodshot from crying. His auburn hair was messed up, adding to the overall strange affect his appearance was giving off. We just stared at each other, for a few minutes till I looked away, not able to withstand his intense gaze. _"Why won't you blink?"_ I said, perturbed.

Light laughed, _{You haven't blinked either." _He sniffed again, _"You don't want to.}_

I was unsure of what he meant, and the way tremors of grief began to wrack Light's body again, I didn't think he wanted to explain. So I closed my eyes.

I screamed, opening my eyes with lightening speed. _"I saw… what I… what Kira was doing." _I said, stunned.

_{How do you think…} _Light choked on his own words, _{I saw L… die?}_

_ "It's okay, it's okay." _I patted Light on the back again. _"We'll make sure he never does something…" _I stopped, remembering what I saw Kira doing. _"Unless he's already doing it." _I shivered, remembering what I had seen Kira writing in the Death Note. _"We need to prevent him from doing anything more." _I nodded. _"That Near… new L guy… we can't let Kira get to him. We have to stop him." _I looked down at Light, who was back to quietly wallowing in his depression. I sighed; he didn't seem very motivated. Any mention of L seemed to send him back into his melancholy, the likes of which seemed to compress the air around him with the weight of his grief.

_"You…" _I said, unsure of how to motivate the mess in front of me. I didn't even know if it was even worth it, Light seemed utterly helpless. But he knew Kira longer, surely he could provide me with some insight. _"Do you…" _I thought of a motivational speech. _"What if someone loves this Near character, just the way you love L. Do you want someone to end up like you? Do you want someone to be subjected to the same melancholy as yourself" Do you?" _I shouted at Light. _"No you don't! And who knows Kira's back? No one, but us! That means we've got to do something!" _I stomped around, throwing my arms down and looking at Light, exasperated. _"I'm doing this whether your helping or not. Are you with me you pathetic slob?" _

Light looked at me, a fire blazing in his eyes. Maybe insulting him had motivated him. _"You heard me. Right now, you're a lazy, unhygienic mess who can do nothing but sit around and cry all day. I'm sure you can be so much more, but now your not. Do you think this is the man L fell in love with? NO!"_A bit of a stretch, seeing as I never knew L, but it seemed to be working. Light had slowly stood up, and was now looking at me, a ghost of a smile on his face. _"Do you think, if L were alive, he would want to see you looking like that? NO! You mentioned working with L. In this state, do you think are _worthy _of working together with L? NO!" _I was on a roll, _"But. Do you think, that if you worked to stop Kira, you might be able to return to the person you once were, the one L __respected?_"

I looked down at Light, beginning to worry I said something wrong. What if he was like this all the time? Then what I said would make no sense. But my fears were alleviated when Light smiled confidently, and I saw what kind of person he was, who he could still return to. No longer a weak, whimpering puppy, I was seeing the Rottweiler, the wolf that had survived the tiger, return. _{Yes.}_

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><p><strong>Light's back! :D No more pitiful Light, which makes me happy. I don't like pitiful Light, its just so... pitiful :P<strong>


	7. Invitation

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to upload, I was distracted by school and NaNo. Hopefully my updates will be more regular from now on. :D**

**Also, thanks to WolfishMoon, I accidently uploaded the wrong chapter. This is the actual chapter six. Enjoy!**

**And Lawlietlover, for helping me correct the names of Near's assistants. I always seem to butcher their names. :P **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note, though I wish I did.**

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><p><strong><strong>Chapter 6- Invitation

Near's POV

I was browsing lethargically through the lists of murders that the FBI had sent off, looking for anything that seemed abnormal, anything that would link the murder to Kira.

Though if Kira had a Death Note, then he could kill in almost anyway. I twirled my hair listlessly, annoyed by the fact that nothing stuck out at me. L was doing the same job though, but he seemed to be having more luck than me by the number of cases he looked over closely, but none seemed to be the one murder we were looking for. "L…"

"Yes?" The boy in the chair beside me turned to look at me with his deep black eyes.

"Does Kira know my name?"

"Probably."

"Then why hasn't he killed me yet?" I heard my assistants stiffen at my last few words. "If he knows my name, and hates me as much as you say, then why am I not dead yet?"

"Because Kira knows I'm alive as well. If he killed you, then it would become almost impossible to find me, as he knows that with no connections, I would have to come to you. So he won't kill you until he kills me." L said despondently, stirring sugar cubes into his coffee.

"I see. So he wants to force me into action, then." I murmured, going back to scrolling through the list of murders. It had already been a week, and we had no success. I suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath, and I whipped my head around to look at its source, L.

"I found our murder. An Adam Ringer had been killed in the town of Enterprise, Nevada. A large 'N' had been carved into his stomach, and then, before dying, the man used the blood to write out a message. 'Good day, N and L. I hope you are finding yourselves well, as I am having a splendid time myself. Now, do not be alarmed, as are my other punishments, this one was done on someone who was in fact, a criminal. I am sure you have the resources necessary to research this. You may be wondering why I am not calling on you directly, a fact for which Stephen Geovanni, Halle Linder, and Anthony Rester are probably thankful for. Though I do this simply because if I had given you a message via one of them, you would have hidden the murder, and the world wouldn't know that I am back, that I, Kira, have returned to dispense righteous judgment upon the evils of this world." L took a deep breath before continuing, "N and L, as Kira, I would like you to reconsider your actions. I am bringing about a change in this world, a change for the better. And I know that these written words are hardly as effective as I need to be, so I propose we meet. I have already set up a location, the Church of Kira in Columbus, Ohio, the one on Bradford Street. How about a week from now? The 18th, at 10:00 pm. If you have the need for details, or have something scheduled, you know how to contact me."

"He means by television broadcast, I presume." I said, slowly stacking dice. "L?" I turned, slightly confused by his lack of response. "L, what's wrong?" I asked, extremely worried by the expression on his face. He didn't usually show his emotions, so for him to have a look of outright horror on his face meant something was disturbing him deeply.

"How- how did he know?" He stuttered, his hands trembling slightly.

"How did he know what?"

"The church of Kira, the one in Ohio- it's the one my parents had joined- no, still are members of." As he said the last few words, realization struck me. L had said he had been reincarnated, he had been _reborn_- he had parents, he had a childhood, he had a whole different past.  
>"L…" I said hesitantly, not sure how to deal with this information.<p>

"Do not worry Near; I have no lingering attachment for the ones who raised me." L said quietly, stirring more sugar cubes into the coffee.

"So what do we do about Kira's invitation? It seems so very out of his style, what with how forward it is."

L chuckled humorlessly. "Well, I guess he's learned a bit from last time; sometimes you have to take chances."

"Are you referring to the time you went to Light's school and introduced yourself as L?" I watched him carefully, looking for the slight tension of his body whenever Light's name was said. He had hid it pretty well, but I could see it was still there. Something about Light's name, but not Kira's, bothered L. "But with a reversal of the roles, him walking up to you and introducing himself as Kira?" I continued on with my earlier topic, as I didn't see the whole Light and Kira name subject to be as important as finding Kira.

"Yes, exactly that. It would be the only real way to find out who Kira is, and what he looks like."

"So we're going." I said, not really wanting an answer that I already knew. "Then let me call the FBI, we're going to need more support." I looked at L for approval; old habits died hard. He nodded, and I pulled out my phone and began to dial.


	8. Meeting

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.**

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><p><span>Chapter 7- Meeting<span>

Katherine's POV

"Good morning mom!" Kira smiled sweetly at my mother. I could barely hold back a grimace as Kira effortlessly imitated my exact personality and actions. "I'm glad that you've finally decided to let me go to that church you've been visiting."

_ "I can't keep watching." _I said, opening my eyes and returning to the dark arena Light and I were in. _"It's horrifying." _I said, shuddering slightly. Light only gave a half-smile in response, his eyes were still closed. _"I know, I know. It's necessary, but still. It's hard to bear." _I sighed, and closed my eyes again.

"You sure you want to do this honey?" My mom said, looking at Kira worriedly.

"I'm sure mom, it'll be fine. I don't understand what you're so worried about." Kira smiled winningly at her.

"Okay then, I just didn't want you to feel pressured into joining." My mom smiled, and then went back to making breakfast for my family and Kira.

~12 hours later~

Kira walked down the dank cobbled street, my parents on either side of him like bodyguards. To him, no doubt, that was their purpose. Well, besides being a cover for himself. He didn't want to make this easy on L.

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><p>I opened my eyes, glancing sideways at Light. An expression of the utmost worry rested on his face, illuminated by the lantern's cheery glow. I knew that if L ended up coming, Light and I would end up doing everything possible to save him from Kira's claws. Light especially though, as he loved L. His reaction of finding that L was alive was… interesting, to say the least. I bit back a chuckle, remembering.<p>

_ "Why is he writing to L?" I said, opening my eyes to look at Light. _

_ "Because L's still alive." Light said slowly, looking dazed. "He must be alive. He must be!" Light was smiling happily, and he reminded me of a school girl. One who'd just been asked out by the boy she liked._

_ "But…" I hesitated, and then stopped my argument altogether. Light and Kira had both been dead, and they were now alive once again. Admittedly, they were in my body, but they were still alive. I was snapped out of my reverie by someone beginning to hyperventilate. _

_ "He's… alive. Alive! He's still alive!" Light had a hand clutched over his chest, and looked one step from hugging me and then running around squealing. I backed away, trying to bite back a laugh. It didn't work, and now I was beginning to chuckle. Light didn't notice, and continued, "He's really and truly alive! I can see him again! I can apologize! I'll… I'll… I'll…" Light had stood up now, and was wringing his hands nervously, looking like he was trying his hardest not to faint._

_ I couldn't hold back a burst of laughter, Light really looked like a school girl now, and the mental image of him in a girl's uniform had been too funny to resist. Light didn't appear to care about me laughing at him though, he was off in some day dream about L most likely. _

I closed my eyes again, the memory fading as my consciousness was overwhelmed.

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><p>"Welcome to the church of Kira." A man in a black rove ushered my parents and Kira into a small room. "Put these on." He insisted, handing them three long white robes. Kira fingered his in a show of nervousness, a mockery of my parents own actions, before finally putting the rove on. The man waited till they were all dressed in white before continuing, "Right this way."<p>

My family and Kira were led down a gloomy hallway, one that led into a large hexagonal shaped room. Stain glass windows let in red filtered light that stroked the gothic architecture with long fingers, before finally laying its claim on a dark granite altar in the center. Pews radiated out in a circle from it, only two sections were free from the mass of people and wood centered around the alter. The stone pathway we were on, and the place where the pulpit sat claimed the two vacant sections.

They were seated on one of the pews right beside the alter, the eyes of the worshippers on them as they sat down. Once the man who had led them was seated in his own pew, the service began.

"Kira… Deus… Vici… Canti…" A chant I did not know the meaning of rang through the room. It was repeated twice more before the man at the pulpit began to speak. Unlike the rest of the followers, he was not dressed in an onyx black, but a dull blood red robe, embroidered with cryptic symbols.

"Welcome brethren, welcome chosen ones, welcome _followers of Kira._ We are delighted to introduce three newcomers who have come to see the wisdom of Kira and embrace it." He said grandly, his raven black hair spiking up in wild spurts, as if responding to his exuberance. "But first, let us pray."

A thunderous chant rang out, one taken up by all of the worshippers in the room, "Oh great and merciful Kira, exact your vengeance among those who stray from your path, and bless those who stay with you and your righteousness. Oh great Kira, please give us the strength to accomplish your goal. In your name we pray, Amen."

"Now its time for repentance and offering." The raven haired priest said, walking away from the pulpit and towards the altar. He removed a ceremonial knife delicately engraved with scripted messages to their god. He bent over the altar, running a pale white finger over the blade of the knife before bringing it down across his wrists. "I offer my blood and myself to Kira, so that he may use me for his purposes. Kira deus vici canti." He chanted, letting his dark red blood drip onto the concave surface of the stone. Once finished, he took a piece of linen from below the altar and began to wrap his wrist. "May Kira be merciful." He bowed, and stood back from the altar to let others come forth.

The rest of the worshippers come forward and repeated the prayer in turn, the black alter stone collecting a pool of red as the knife slit open the skin of many. When all of the worshippers present had offered themselves to Kira, the priest turned to face my family and Kira. "It's time for you to be ordained." He said flamboyantly, and my family and Kira were lead up to the altar, looking for alls worth like lambs being led to the slaughter. Kira was an exception; he was the very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Drink from the blood of Kira, let his command wait inside of you for his every call." The priest commanded, dipping a chalice into the red pool. He offered it to my mother who promptly drank from it before passing it onto my father with a soft smile.

My father took the cup with quavering hands, but there was resolve in his eyes. That unquestioning feeling to complete the task he now faced. He drank it like a shot, holding back a grimace as he passed the cup to Kira.

Kira took the cup with trembling hands, the shaking getting worse as he lifted the cup to his mouth. "I can't." He whispered, putting the cup down. "I can't do this."

"You must." The priest insisted, his eyes flashing. "You must obey the word of Kira." He put his hand on the cup, pushing the chalice towards Kira's mouth. "Drink it!"

"Stop! Police! Everyone here put your hands up, you're under arrest!" The door burst open, showing a man holding a gun, leveling it directly at the priest. "Let go of the girl and put your hands on the wall."

I knew the subtle nuances of my face so well that when Kira bit his lip, I knew it was to hide a smirk. Kira had probably planned something, and it was going _exactly _the way he wanted it to.

"If you shoot, this girl gets it." The priest hissed, holding the ceremonial knife to Kira's throat. The man with the gun slowly lowered it, as if relenting. The muffled sound of a silence gun going of behind him was unheard to the priest, and then smooth tranquilizer dart found its mark in the man's neck. The effect was instantaneous, the man's grip on the knife relaxing, and he shuddered forward and fell onto Kira.

Kira whimpered as the police moved in, effortlessly rounding up the worhsippers. Kira shivered as the priest was pried off of her by a masked man. "Are you okay?" the man asked, looking down at Kira,

"My-my parents." Kira choked. "The-they- blood…" He shivered, curling into the fetal position as if to protect himself.

"I know, I know, it's okay." The man said, patting Kira's head awkwardly. He didn't seem used to giving comfort.

"Bu-but-but." Kira shivered again. The man in the mask sighed, and stood up from his position of crouching next to Kira.

"No!" Kira cried out, clutching the man's leg from his position on the ground.

The man sighed, but seemed to relent somewhat. "Can you stand?" He asked, peering down at Kira with dull black eyes through the slits in his mask.

Kira nodded, bracing himself against the man's body as he pulled himself up. He was still trembling, fear evident in his eyes. "Don't… don't leave me." Kira sobbed, moving to grab the man's arm pitifully.

The man sighed, and said that he wouldn't leave her until she was ready to go.

* * *

><p>"This doesn't seem like Kira." I opened my eyes, as Kira was now simply following around the masked man like a puppy.<p>

"That's because Kira has changed. He has learned how to throw away his pride. It was his major weakness before, the fact that he couldn't stand any insult to his ego and his pride, no matter what the consequence would be. Now that Kira has learned how to detach himself from his pride, he has a whole new manner of weaponry available to him. The fact that he will lower himself down to doing things like this simply gives him a huge advantage, due to the fact that Kira would never show fear, never let others even take care of him." Light said, looking at me with an expression of great seriousness. "And right now, I don't think L even knows or suspects that 'Katherine' is Kira in disguise. Kira's actions are too different, too unprecedented." Light sighed.

"So that means L did come, or at least has cameras to watch over Kira's actions here." I asked curiously, wondering what L looked like. I just didn't really see why Light was so worried about Kira acting different. L was a genius detective, surely he could reason that Kira might have changed.

Light smiled bitterly at me. "The man in the mask, the one who Kira's been handing on to. That's L."


	9. On the Brink

Chapter 8- On the Brink

L's POV

I was sitting in a small van, disappointingly not my Angel Crepe van but instead a small black van owned by Near. I had multiple views of the church through a monitor, as Near had Rester insert bugs and cameras in the church the day before, in preparation for this event. I knew I would eventually have to go inside, but the moment was inopportune. Kira was holding Light hostage, and though I knew he wouldn't hurt him yet, he was not beyond harming him if we ran in unprepared.

"Zoom in." I commanded into my headset, a slight frown appearing on my normally emotionless face, accompanied by a wave of disgust and my own memories. The white robes were all too familiar to me, a me from when I knew not of Light, Near, myself- Only of Kira.

_"Son." My father ordered, stepping towards me, his black robes billowing out. "It is time for you to be ordained into the worship of Kira. _

_I stopped stacking sugar cubes and slowly turned to my father, my knees to my chest in a defensive position that I had become infatuated with every time my father turned his attentions upon me. I peered up at him, silently trembling in the seat. The figure of my father was daunting to me; it was hard to resist. But I didn't want to join the church of Kira, in the nine years I had lived I had seen enough of the horrors that went on there to know I wanted no part in it. And it blatantly offended my high sense of justice- and for me to go against that was unforgivable. "I don't want to."_

_"But you must!" My father stepped toward me, his eyes wide and maniacal. "We are truly a family dedicated to Kira, and for the head priest's own son to not be a follower- it is a most unforgiveable sin." He stepped closer to me, jerking my body out of the chair. "So you're coming whether_ _you like it or_ not."

_"Nn- No." I whispered futilely, a last stand against the domination and oppressive will of my father. _

_His eyes narrowed, the infuriated visage looming before me as he whispered, "Then I guess I'll have to use force." The sickly sweet tone and the way his hands clamped around my neck told me that there was no way I could win; already I could feel my almost translucent skin beginning to bruise as he- _

"L!" A voice snapped me out of my reverie. I swiveled my self around, turning to face one of Near's assistants, Halle Lidner, standing beside me. My eyes quickly narrowed on her worried expression, and I quickly erased my face of any emotion that might have leaked to the surface.

"Yes Lidner-san?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes! The services started, and well- you'll see."

At her words I returned my attention to the monitor and Near, already knowing what to expect, I had been through it myself. A miniscule narrowing of Near's eyes was all it took for me to realize that something beyond what I had told him to expect had happened. "What is that man doing?" Near said tonelessly, but by the slight infliction in the way he phrased his sentence, I knew Near was supremely annoyed. After all, it was hard for even me to read his emotions unless they were truly overwhelming, and even then, it was only possible for someone who knew him well to read him.

"Well, he's attempting to enter the church." Lidner supplied helpfully.

Near turned his unamused dull gaze to the woman, and I smirked internally as the assistant cringed. "Stop him."

At the words from Near, the woman quickly switched her headset's channel, so that she could speak to the agents working in the field. A few moments later, she scowled indignantly, pulling her headset off and throwing it on the table. "We have the link set up, but he keeps ignoring me! Saying it's not right for a girl to go through that. I know, it isn't right, but this is too reckless!"

"I can hear him." Near tapped his headset, indicating he had already switched it to the other channel, and most likely put it on mute.

"Then why didn't you talk to him yourself?" Lidner exclaimed loudly. "He might have listened to you; you are the boss after all! He's supposed to listen to you!"

"But he is not listening to reason at the moment, as his dialogue so eloquently proved. We will simply change our plans. We will go in early. Kira will have a disadvantage too, he couldn't have predicted this himself. He couldn't have caused this, as I made sure no information was leaked…" Near paused, thinking. "Though it's possible. We should never eliminate a possibility just because it is unlikely. He may have gotten through the precautions I set up." Near twirled his hair, spinning around in his chair. "We will still have to enter the church though, we cannot pass up this chance to catch Kira. Sometimes, we have to take risks."

My mind switched into overdrive as Near stopped talking, and I knew he would not speak anymore, his point had been made. I slowly stood up and shuffled out of mu seat, slopping on one of the masks Near's assistants had procured for this purpose. As the elastic snapped around my head I reached a conclusion- If Kira had planned this, then he would have done so knowing that we would rescue the family. We would also have to take them into custody in order to get evidence on the church. So Kira would want to be in the family or in a similar position in order to get close to us.

I stepped out of the building and into a car that drove me to the church, only a minute away. Following my earlier conclusion, that if Kira to appear into that family, he would most likely want to be someone of weight as to convince them to go to the Church of Kira. So Kira would most likely appear in one of the parents. I reviewed the scene one more time in my mind, taking in all of the actions and expressions that I had witnessed. Judging from what I have seen, its 42% likely the mother, 28% likely the father and 16% likely the daughter and a 14% chance Kira is not within the family at all.

The more I thought about it through, the more I believed my conclusions were correct. The mother seemed to be consoling the father at one point and had tried to keep him going. The father, for the reasons previously displayed, was less likely to be Kira; he also lacked the self assured confidence that could even make his slight stature seem powerful. Even though Kira had looked down on women seeing how he had used Misa for his own means, he was most likely one now. The irony of the situation caused me to smirk inwardly.

The daughter was also not likely Kira, even though she seemed to have a sort of inner confidence around her. The way she had broken down and trembled in fear was not something Kira would do. I narrowed my eyes slightly, a small almost unreadable sigh of my internal annoyance that my profile on Kira might not be accurate. The man who had been Kira/Light might have changed after I died. I had only been briefed of the events from Near's perspective, so there might have been many things missing about Kira/Light. I winced internally at the name. I had managed to avoid thinking about him this far, and I had been able to refrain from getting distracted and making hasty, amateur laden decisions. I needed to focus on Kira right now and not Light. By catching Kira, I could save Light from the part of himself. What had started as simply dissociative identity disorder had soon- almost tumor like in the speed into a dual-soled organism full of paradoxical complex's and the like. Light has justice-driven, trusted his emotions-even let them go over his head sometimes. Kira was the opposite, his view of justice twisted beyond recognition, had serious anger issues though always kept them locked away, and was cruel and calculating.

I sighed deeply, the car shuddering to a stop and bringing an end to my thoughts. I stepped out of the car, and feeling the comforting weight of my mask, strode into the church. 

I took a deep breath, and then turned away from the window and to look at my... responsibility. I cringed internally at thought; I had no desire to help others at the moment. But- I swallowed painfully- she reminded me of myself in a way. I had gone through something extremely similar to what she had, although worse. That girl, Katherine, I remembered, seemed much more fragile than me though. And I knew firsthand what the effects of being forced to endure the church services could do to a person. I had already had a penchant for insomnia before them; the nightmares only made it worse.

They had long since deceased however. My nightmares were a thing of the past, a forgotten part of my history. My time with Light was like that as well, and I could only wonder if I even still mattered to him; if he even held the same type of affection for me as I to him.

A slight tug on my shirt sleeve was what snapped me out of my thoughts this time. "Ex-excuse me, sir..." Katherine said in between sniffles. "Whe-where," a hiccup interrupted her stuttering, "are my parents?"

"Do you wish to see them?" I said in my typical monotone.

"No!" She almost yelled, extremely alarmed. "Not... Not yet." She murmured, biting her lip. I waited for her to continue, and when she didn't, I turned away, intent on going over the information I had received. I almost missed her next declaration, a quiet statement that was intended for my ears alone. "I'm... sorry." 

The slight quirking of my eyebrows was the only sign of my confusion, though my voice didn't reveal anything even then as I asked, "For what?"

"My- my behavior." She stuttered, trying to draw herself up. "I do-don't usually... act this way."

"You just went through an extremely stressful and disconcerting experience. I don't expect you to be alright directly after something like this."

Katherine nodded, and then looked down. "I'll try to be a-as helpful as I can."

"You can help by going to sleep. You need to recover right now, before you help us with the investigation." Katherine smiled at me faintly, and then did as she was told. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, leaning against the car door. I sighed, and pulled out my laptop, ready to begin interrogating as soon as we arrived.

"Has your daughter started to act differently in the past few months?" I asked plainly, staring down at the man in front of me. I had been interrogating him for a while now, and had just finished questioning him about his wife.

"No." He gave me another one of his tight lipped answers, as he had been since I stared the interrogation.

"Has she seemed different in any way? Intelligence level, personality, habits..."

The man shrugged, "Not really."

I sighed softly; the interrogation wasn't going as well as I had hoped. I would have to try again at a later date if it continued on tin this manner any longer. "Elaborate."

"She made good grades; she still makes good grades. She was pretty social before; she's still pretty social."

"Hmm." I murmured noncommittally, "I have no more questions at the moment." I pushed back from the table and walked out of the door. Once it was closed behind me, I turned to see Near waiting for to brief him about the interview. "I gained little to no information; he was quite uncooperative. We should try again at a later date. I also want the report cards from Katherine's senior year."

Near nodded, and one of the FBI agents was quickly informed of what I needed. As the agent left, Near and I were left alone in the relative quiet of the hallway. "The girl has been asking for you. Do you wish to see her?"

"Is she in a state ready for interrogation? I questioned.

Near shrugged, "See for yourself."

We began walking to a room on the top floor, somewhat near Near and I's living spaces. "Hello Katherine."

"Ryuuzaki!" A cheerful voice greeted me, belonging to a tall brunette with wide green eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." I replied, "But I am sure that's not what you meant."

Katherine grinned, tossing her shoulder length hair. She seemed completely recovered from the shock. "Why are you interrogating us?"

I bit my thumb, analyzing and considering. She was pretty smart, ranked fifth in her grade, but she was by no means a genius. And even if she was smart enough, to suspect that Kira had been resurrected would be a long shot. So if she did predict it, then the chance that she was Kira herself would only be raised, which would in turn limit her actions. "What do you think?"

"I don't know yet." She shrugged honestly. "But I'll find out."

I stirred more sugar into my coffee. The interrogation had ended, but neither Katherine nor I had left the room. I was watching her out of the corner of my eye, taking note of every action she performed. Not even remotely suspicious. It was like watching Ligh-Kira, my mind immediately corrected. I would not think about Light right now, not when Kira was so close to being found. 

I still had my suspicions that Mrs. Silvers was Kira, but there was that nasty feeling that I was missing something important. Perhaps her husband was a better actor than I assumed. Or maybe.. I looked straight into Katherine's wide hazel eyes. She could perhaps be Kira, even though the chances were 16%. "Ryuuzaki?" Her inquisitive voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Are you afraid?"

"Of what?" I asked, troubled. I wasn't afraid; I was never afraid. L did not fear. _But I'm not L. _A small voice reminded me from deep within the recesses of my mind. _Does Teru feel fear? _I winced internally at the name. Teru Tallincoly. Named after a man who my father said did great things for Kira. Named after an ally of the very man I attempted to catch.

"Of whoever you're trying to find." Katherine peered across the steel table in an attempt to look my in the eyes nearly hidden by my mask. "You are trying to find someone, right? I mean, you've been asking if my parents have been acting differently; isn't that because you think someone has replaced either my mom or dad? Or maybe someone close to the family. Someone with connections to the church. I can't really tell."

"You may believe what you wish." I replied, somewhat stunned at her deduction. I wouldn't tell her though; if she was indeed Kira then a huge problem would arise. "Was that your only conclusion?"

"Well," Katherine tilted her head, considering, "I think tha-"

"Ryuuzaki!" The door burst open. "We have a problem! The Kira worshippers have all started to die!"


	10. Blood Message

**A/N: This story is set in an alternate timeline. The Kira case was ended in 2001, and the date is now 2011.**

**I apologize for not updating in a while, my muse took a vacation in the Caribbean, and only recently returned. And then I had to reread this whole thing, so I didn't make any information mistakes. I edited chapter 4 as well, to make the information in it match up with this one. The next updates will also probably be sporadic, as Harry Potter fanfiction has taken over my mind, and I feel the urge to write HP fanfiction, not Death Note. :P  
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**Disclaimer: I still don't own Death Note.**

Chapter 9- Blood Message

L's POV

_What is Kira planning? _I wondered as I followed one of Near's assistants to the room where the many Kira worshippers were being held. Katherine followed doggedly behind me, worry on her face. It was most likely her parents she was worried about. After all, they were Kira worshippers too, if only new ones. And she didn't know that they were most likely not going to die, as one of them was probably Kira. And it would be awfully strange if just one or two of the family died, at the rate the followers are going.

"Wait out here," I said to Katherine, gesturing to the hallway we were standing in. "I should be out shortly. I then turned to the door to the security room of Near's headquarters, tapped out the password on the keypad, then entered.

"Give me the details," I said in my typical monotone to Near, who was looking through the monitors with the room on them.

"They've all started to suicide," said Near, "It's most likely Kira controlling them."

"Didn't you remove everything that could be used as a weapon before you put them in the room?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. "What's the chance this is not actually Kira, and just the followers themselves showing their devotion to their 'Lord' by not wanting to give up any information about other Kira churches and their practices?"

"Very low," Near replied, "As most of these followers are rather spineless. Even the Head Priest. They're all very fond of their own lives. Well, the ones that have been interviewed so far were. And yes, all objects that could be used as weapons were removed. They got creative."

I thought about this for a second before answering, "They're biting their own tongues?"

Near just nodded in reply. He then tapped his headset, signaling to me that he was receiving a message. He frowned slightly, and then turned to one of the screens. "Well, the deaths have stopped. Around half of the followers are dead now."

"And?" I asked, knowing that what Near had said wasn't all. Something like that wouldn't cause Near to frown.

"One of the followers wrote a message on the ground using his blood. But there's a body blocking the camera."

"Do we need to go down there?"

"Not really," Near shrugged. "An assistant can do that. Though we may need to assist in helping move the followers. I don't have as many men as usual, as Kira returning, though something people like to imagine, is not actually a very believable threat. Even though the FBI are reporting suspicious murders to me, they don't actually believe that Kira will come back until they have proof."

"So let's go then, we can save time. Finding Kira is extremely important."

Near nodded, and then got up from his chair. I followed behind him as he exited the room. I turned to Katherine who, as expected, was still waiting outside. As her father and mother had been returned to the room that was holding the followers after their interrogation had finished, I decided that she could follow. "Follow us."

As we walked into the room, I wrinkled my nose slightly at the smell. Even though most of the bodies had been cleared out already, there was still that stench of blood and death that was left behind. Most of the followers were huddled into a corner, though a few were walking around or leaning against the walls rather unconcernedly. Most notably, the Head Priest. I looked away from him. Even though I had my mask on still, and he most likely wouldn't recognize me, I still didn't want to face the man. My second childhood had left its mark, even when my old memories were returned to me.

"Here's the message," Near stated as he stopped right in front of the writing on the floor. I read it over quickly, and then swallowed nervously. This message… Could I take it as proof that Light was still alive and fighting? That his soul hadn't been swallowed up by Kira's? Or was this just a taunt, something to provoke me into doing something rash. A jibe by my sociopathic enemy about my own feelings. I also wondered why he had not written a message in code as he did usually.

_L, RYUUZAKI, RYUUGA- HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO SEE YOU ALIVE AGAIN. _

_LIGHT CERTAINTLY THINKS THIS IS TRUE AS WELL. _

_IS THIS ALL YOU CAN DO? YOU'RE PITIFUL L. NOT TOO MANY HEIRS LEFT. _

_HERE I AM AGAIN, AND I AM ALREADY AHEAD IN THIS WAR. _

_IN THIS WORLD, I WAS BORN WITH THE ADVANTAGE._

_HER DEAL WAS QUITE NICE, WASN'T IT? _

"Her?" Near said, turning to me.

"As I said earlier, the Shinigami King is not a gender specific title. He's most likely referring to where she placed him in a body. He thinks he has the better hand." I said, and then grimaced, "and he's most likely right."

"L, Light is in here in her." Near said, eyeing the hidden message. "It doesn't really make any sense. Why would Kira be trying to help us find him?"

"He probably isn't." I smiled slightly, hoping what I was saying was true, "Light is probably trying to help us. He can probably try and alter Kira's thoughts slightly, as in making his wording slightly different."

"That's good then."

I nodded in agreement; things were looking up.

"You!" A too familiar voice snarled, and I whirled around, as did Near. "You, it's you isn't it?" The raspy voice of the Head Priest was grating my ears. The man was standing right in front of me, staring at me with wide, slightly bulging black eyes. "You! Teru…. TERU." He snarled, reaching out for me.

I stiffened and stepped back, freezing up slightly. Wave after wave of repressed memories from this second childhood were hitting at me, pounding from inside my skull. I barely noticed as Near ordered an assistant to restrain the man and remove him, not even listening to the yelling of "I KNEW IT! MY FAILURE OF A SON! I KNEW IT! BETRAYER OF MY CAUSE!" I didn't even see Katherine's face light up in an insane grin that quickly disappeared not even a second later.


End file.
